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John Tory is Leader of the Official Opposition and of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. He served as Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey from 2005-07. Tory was unsuccessful in his bid to unseat provincial Liberal incumbent Kathleen Wynne in the riding of Don Valley West in the election held October 10, 2007.

His first bid for the Premiership was unsuccessful. His “faith-based education” proposal, which entailed providing public funding for other faith-based schools (in addition to the Catholic school system), became a focal point of the provincial election campaign. It proved to be a highly contested election issue, generating so much media attention and pressure that Tory ultimately stated that, if elected, he would hold a free vote on the issue.

Despite serving as Party Leader since only 2004, Tory has a longstanding involvement in politics as an organizer and fundraiser. He has been actively involved in the PC Party for more than 35 years. He has been held a variety of positions in election campaigns for key Progressive Conservatives (former Prime Ministers, Premiers and key cabinet ministers) at both the federal and provincial levels. In 2003, he ran as a mayoral candidate in the City of Toronto – a race he lost to David Miller. From 1981 to 1985, he served in the Office of the Premier of Ontario Bill Davis as Principal Secretary to the Premier and Associate Secretary of the Cabinet. He joined the Ontario Young Progressive Conservative Association in 1969.

Tory became Leader of the PC Party of Ontario after a distinguished career as a businessman, lawyer, and journalist. He served as President and CEO, first of Rogers Media and then Rogers Cable, successfully positioning Rogers as an industry leader. Prior to that Tory was a lawyer in his father’s law firm, Tory Tory DesLauriers & Binnington; he served as partner, managing partner, and member of the Executive Committee. In the 1970s, Tory worked as a journalist at Toronto radio stations owned by Rogers Broadcasting Ltd.

Born on May 28, 1954, Tory was raised and educated in Toronto. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto’s Trinity College, and a law degree from York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School. Tory married his wife Barbara Hackett in 1978. They have four children: John, Christopher, Susan, and George.

Tory has also been very active in volunteer and community service, working for such organizations as the Salvation Army, the University of Toronto, and the Canadian Paraplegic Association. He also served as League Commissioner for the Canadian Football League for four years. In 2002, he was named Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year in Ontario.